acl surgery post op

ACL and Meniscus Surgery: All About My Injury and Surgery

by Rashida Bealin ACL and Meniscus Surgeryon Posted on

ACL surgery is something that many athletes go through. While tackling your own journey, it can be difficult to know what to expect. I found it very helpful to read and watch other peoples’ experiences, which is why I decided to document my own. 

However, every single surgery is different. Before learning more about my recovery, you must understand my specific injury. Please keep in mind as you read or watch my monthly updates and recovery content that my experience is just that, MY experience. Yours may be completely different and that is okay. 

The Knee Injury 

My injury occurred March 6, 2018. I went back to my former college to train. After winning the ball from the opponent, I was facing back toward my own goal. I decided to try to turn toward the sideline to face the other direction. My right foot was in the air, about to touch the ball, and all my weight was planted on my left leg. Right before my right foot made contact with the ball, I felt something come through the outside of my left knee, and my entire knee twisted and buckled underneath me. 

This was a contact injury, with a direct blow to the outside of the knee while all my body weight was on that one leg. 

How the Knee Injury Felt 

The moment I felt the contact on the outside of my knee, I felt unbelievable pain. I cannot even describe how it felt. I did not have pain in one area, it felt like my entire knee exploded. My knee was instantly locked (could not straighten), and instantly swollen. I could not bear any weight on it, and I could not even stand vertically on my good leg because the blood going to it was so painful. 

My Knee Injury Diagnosis

The day after my injury, I went to an orthopedic center for diagnosis. I received an X-Ray and MRI. The doctor told me that I had a torn ACL, torn lateral meniscus, and torn medial meniscus as well as a moderately sprained MCL. He told me that my lateral meniscus had a piece broken off and that was locking my knee. According to this diagnosis, he said I could bear weight as tolerated and should try to begin walking as soon as possible. 

After my knee calmed down enough where I felt I could make the 5.5 hour drive home with my dog, I headed back home from my former school. I then went to see my surgeon. After reading my MRI she asked why I was not in crutches. I explained what I had been told and showed her the papers they’d given me. She told me that the previous diagnosis was not accurate. I had a torn ACL, bucket-handle tear on my lateral meniscus, and medial meniscus tear.

Unlike what the previous doctor told me, my bucket-handle meniscus tear should not be walked on because bearing weight on the bucket-handle tear can further damage the meniscus beyond repair. She told me to immediately stop walking and weight bearing. At that time, she did not know for sure if she could fix it and would have to see when she went in for the surgery. My surgery was scheduled for 4 weeks later, as she wanted me to reduce swelling and work on flexion. I could not work on extension or strengthening as many people do before ACL surgery due to my lateral meniscus bucket-handle tear. 

To recap, my diagnosis was:

  • Fully torn ACL
  • Bucket-handle tear on lateral meniscus (locking my knee)
  • Medial meniscus tear 
  • MCL sprain 

My ACL Surgery 

For this post, I am sticking to the details of my surgery. If you are interested in my surgery day experience, you can check out this video and this post. 

My surgery took 3.5 hours to complete. For my surgery, I had ACL reconstruction as well as medial and lateral meniscus repair. I used the patellar tendon graft for my ACL reconstruction. My surgeon was able to repair my lateral meniscus, but it required 8 stitches. My medial meniscus tear was bigger or more complex than they thought, so it required 5 stitches to repair. For those unfamiliar, that is a LOT of stitches in my menisci, and this greatly impacted my recovery. 

Follow My Recovery